Yemen Drone Strike Shows Careful Balance of U.S. Policy: View
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Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, theAmerican-born radical Muslim cleric, by a drone strike in Yemenwas a minor U.S. victory that raises major questions about theevolving fight against global terrorism.
These include: How important was al-Awlaki? Is the U.S.justified in targeting its own citizens if they are deemed animmediate threat to national security? Is cooperating with theteetering government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh inthe U.S.’s long-term interests? And does the 2001 congressionalauthorization to use force against those behind the Sept. 11attacks extend to groups that had no role in them, such asYemen’s al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and al-Shabaab inSomalia?